Gustav Schädler

Gustav Schädler (, ;18 November 1883 – 19 June 1961) was a teacher and politician from Liechtenstein who served as the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1922 to 1928. He previously served as a government councillor in 1922 and in the Landtag of Liechtenstein from 1919 to 1922.

Starting his career as a teacher, he gained political prominence as a public speaker before serving in the Landtag of Liechtenstein and then as a government councillor as a member of the Christian Social People's Party (VP). He was a major proponent of Liechtenstein's constitutional revision, and represented the Vice President at the castle agreements in 1920. Appointed as prime minister in 1922, Schädler achieved forming a customs union with Switzerland and the reorientation of Liechtenstein's administration to the recently introduced 1921 constitution. Though his tenure, he also faced economic challenges such as the 1927 Alpine Rhine flood, and Liechtenstein was consistently faced financial difficulties. He was forced to resign by Johann II as a result of an embezzlement scandal in 1928.

Following his resignation as prime minister, Schädler again worked as a teacher. He re-entered politics as an editor of the Liechtensteiner Vaterland during World War II. In 1946, he was sentenced to six months in prison due to illegal espionage for German intelligence agencies, but he did not serve the sentence due to health reasons. He died unexpectedly following a surgery in 1961.

Early life and career Schädler was born on 18 November 1883 in Triesenberg as the son of Adolf Schädler and Maria, (née Beck) as one of five children. He attended teacher's training college in Bad Saulgau before being trained as a teacher in linguistics and history in Zurich from 1906 to 1912. From 1914 to 1922, he worked as a teacher in the state school in Vaduz.

Schädler, who had already risen to political promience as a public speaker, was appointed by Johann II to the Landtag of Liechtenstein in 1919 as a member of the Christian Social People's Party (VP), where he served until 1922. He also wrote for the VP's press, and was a correspondent to the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. He was appointed as a government councillor on 2 March 1922 in the Josef Ospelt cabinet.

Prime Minister of Liechtenstein Schädler was the second prime minister of Liechtenstein, serving from 6 June 1922 to 24 June 1928. The 1922 Liechtenstein general election resulted in a win for the VP, and following the resignation of Josef Ospelt, Schädler was appointed as prime minister.

Schädler's tenure as prime minister oversaw Liechtenstein's political and economic reorientation towards Switzerland. His government was also responsible for reorientating the country's administration to the recently introduced 1921 constitution.

Economic policy Liechtenstein consistently faced financial difficulties during Schädler's tenure. In 1922, 1925, 1927 and 1928 the country was forced to take loans from Switzerland. His government introduced the personal and corporate law in 1926, also written by Wilhelm and Emil Beck, which increased the amount of companies residing in Liechtenstein, and also invited investors primarily from Germany due to a lessened tax burden. Following a referendum in September 1925, the Lawena Power Plant resumed construction and was completed in 1927. It was deemed an economic necessity and was Liechtenstein's first source of domestic energy. The national bank had previously been restructured by the VP in 1922, and many of its officials were replaced by allies of the party. By 1927, the bank's management and supervision was hampered by continued political conflict, and oversight boards failed to address the problem, allowing the embezzlement to continue.

When the scandal came to light in June 1928, the FBP demanded that Schädler's government immediately resign and the Landtag be dismissed. The party threatened to hold a street demonstration to pressure the government if this did not happen. Johann II, who blamed the VP for the scandal, refused to receive Schädler in Vienna and instead invited leading figures of the FBP, who recommended the dismissal of Schädler's government. As a result, Johann II demanded that Schädler resign and threatened to enact an emergency constitutional clause should he not do so. He resigned on 15 June 1928 and the following day Johann II dismissed the Landtag and early elections were called. Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein was temporarily appointed as acting as prime minister. The subsequent 1928 general election resulted in a majority for the FBP and he was succeeded by Josef Hoop as prime minister. During this time he wrote articles about Switzerland, supposedly for the German press, but it was used by German intelligence agencies. In 1946, he was sentenced to 6 months in prison for illegal espionage. The VU considered the conviction unfair, but ultimately he did not serve the sentence due to health reasons.

Personal life and death

Schädler married Olga Real (29 July 1889 – 26 July 1974), the daughter of Adolf Real, on 16 December 1918 and they had 2 children together. He was from Triesenberg, but lived in Vaduz from 1914.

Schädler, who suffered from a heart condition, died unexpectedly on 19 June 1961 due to complications from surgery he had undergone a few weeks prior. He was 77 years old.